Before he could make any reply, Frank stepped between them, and with crimson face and flashing eyes confronted him. "Yes! what does this mean, Mr. Adelstone?" he echoed. "Why have you brought us here--entrapped us?" Jasper Adelstone just glanced at him, then looked at Stella--pale, beautiful and indignant. "I fear I have offended you," he said, in a low, clear voice, his eyes fixed with concentrated watchful intentness on her face. "Offended!" echoed Stella, with mingled surprise and anger. "There is no question of offense, Mr. Adelstone. This--this that you have done is an insult!" And her face flushed hotly. He shook his head gravely, and his hands clasped themselves behind his back, where they pecked at each other in his effort to remain calm and self-possessed under her anger and scorn. "It is not an insult; it was not intended as an insult. Stella----" "My name is Etheridge, Mr. Adelstone," Stella broke in, calmly and proudly. "Be good enough to address me by my title of courtesy and surname." "I beg your pardon," he said, in slow tones. "Miss Etheridge, I am aware that the step I have taken--and I beg you to mark that I do not attempt to deny that it is through my order that you are here----" "We know all that!" interrupted Frank, fiercely. "We don't wish for any verbiage from you; we only want, my cousin and I, a direct answer to our question, 'Why have you done this?' When you have answered it, we will leave you as quickly as possible. If you don't choose to answer, we will leave you without. In fact, Stella"--and he turned with a glance of contempt and angry scorn at the tall motionless figure with the pale face and compressed lips--"in fact, Stella, I don't think we much care to know. We had better go, I think, and leave it to someone else to demand an explanation and reparation." Jasper did not look at him, took no notice whatever of the boyish scorn and indignation: he had borne Stella's; the boy's could not touch him after hers. "I am ready to afford you an explanation," he said to Stella, with an emphasis on the 'you.' Stella was silent, her eyes turned away from him, as if the very thought of him were distasteful to her. "Go on, we are waiting!" exclaimed Frank, with all a boy's directness. "I said that I would afford 'you,' Miss Etheridge," said Jasper. "I think it would be better if you were to hear me alone." "What!" shouted Frank, drawing Stella's arm through his. "Alone," repeated Jasper. "It would be better for you--for all of us," he repeated, with a significance in his voice that sank to Stella's heart. "I won't hear of it!" exclaimed Frank. "I am here to protect her. I would not leave her alone with you a moment. You are quite capable of murdering her!" Then, for the first time, Jasper noticed the boy's presence. "Are you afraid that I shall do you harm?" he said, with a cold smile. He knew Stella. The cold sneer stung her.